All, No mistaking it now. We’re busy, busy, busy. We’ve sold out of all our regular-sized bikes and only have 3 left that fill out the extreme ends of the size-spectrum:  two very small and one very large bike.

We’ve been very vocal about hiring here while we’re open and have had some verbal interest but nothing that has actually translated to applications—yet. I did interview and am in the hiring process for one new employee, so that’s a start.

On Friday, Jeff Yockey stopped by and grabbed a handful of Grand Opening flyers to hand out at the Habitat Bicycle Sale. Habitat sells some of their bikes in As Is condition meaning folks might need somewhere or some parts to get their bikes rolling a little better and we’d be just the place. Always nice to get our name out to the larger community.

On Saturday,  I participated in LAB’s Traffic Skills 101 course. Despite 13 years of regular commuting, not all of the maneuvers and handling came naturally to me. Always more to learn. Up next is the official LCI training seminar in September.

This week I’ll be fielding more applications and building bikes to attempt to meet demand.

The numbers:

Visitors: 141
Sales: $2,100.50

Memberships: 17 for $510
Bikes: 8 for $1,190
Tires/tubes: 12 for $39
U-locks: 6 for $136

Thanks!

Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center Coordinator

The Walkability Audit FY 2021-22 commences with designing a system to study the Walkability Index of the campus of UIUC and its neighboring areas. The site of intervention is divided into 29 divisions. A 2-level survey is chosen in order to generate an in-depth analysis, the survey questionnaire and a detailed study per division. The questionnaire takes care of overall parameters like pedestrian facilities, maintenance, crosswalks, aesthetics, path size, universal accessibility, shade, buffers etc (more to be added later) and is scored using 0-5 pts. The detailed study identifies and locates existing problems relevant to each division/subdivision individually.

By mid-September 2021, all the walkability parameters and the survey questionnaire will be finalized and the training manual for volunteers will be developed. Volunteers will be provided with maps of their respective subdivisions and trained to correctly observe each parameter and take reference pictures if need be. The data will be collected in the month of October after the training is complete. Volunteers will work in teams and a single division will be documented by 3 different volunteers after which an average of the scores will be generated. This average score is believed to best represent each parameter. Volunteer groups will be kept the same throughout each study level for consistency of scores. The database with scores should be generated at the end of October 2021 after which the Analysis phase of the Walkability Audit will commence.

After discussions with Michael McKelvey at MSTE and Aaron Mason and Ian Bonadeo at Hawkeye Energy Solutions, since Morgan White put them in contact back in April, the ECE building’s energy dashboards are now available without requiring a login and via domain name rather than IP address! Here are the dashboards:

ECE Building – Energy Dashboard

ECE Building – Net Zero Energy Dashboard

You can view the listing of dashboards currently available at the U of I Building Energy Dashboard Home Page.

Joyce Mast is working with Patricia Franke to refine the ECE energy displays to include the effect of local weather on the solar panels. F&S Utilities and Energy Services is connecting Joyce with the contact people at Hawkeye Energy Solutions, who incorporated real-time energy data in the ECE energy dashboard, using campus data provided by F&S.

EPA is pleased to launch its 10th annual Campus RainWorks Challenge (Links to an external site.), a green infrastructure design competition for American colleges and universities that seeks to engage with the next generation of environmental professionals and showcase the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure practices. Stormwater pollution is a problem that impacts public health and water quality in communities across the country. The Campus RainWorks Challenge invites today’s students to become part of the solution.

To learn more about Campus RainWorks check out the official 2021 Campus RainWorks Challenge Competition Brief (Links to an external site.). The brief contains details on the challenge's design categories, submission requirements, and rules for participation.

Calendar

Registration: September 1 – October 1, 2021

Deadline for Entries: December 10, 2021

Winners Announced: Spring 2022

Please share this announcement with college students and faculty in your networks. If you have questions about the Campus RainWorks Challenge please direct them to RainWorks@epa.gov.

Please note that the Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 25th at 6:30 in the Channing Murray building parking lot. The address is 1209 W. Oregon Street. Disregard any previous date/time as it was incorrectly listed. 

On our campus, we recycle five major commodities: paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic bottles #1 and #2, and scrap metal.  F&S Waste Management coordinates recycling at the campus level, and for the whole system to work, we need everyone to use the recycling bins.  Please pledge now to Use the Bin and support the Illinois Climate Action Plan! 

Morgan White • F&S and iSEE

Recycling on Campus? Use the Bin!

Reservations are again being accepted for UI Ride, the convenient University of Illinois System shuttle service. This service connects the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago universities and the Discovery Partners Institute. For fall 2021, UI Ride makes two daily round trips, three days a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays). The comfortable 18-seat buses offer onboard Wi-Fi and work stations.

Reservations available for UI Ride shuttle service

Kirsten Ruby • Office for University Relations

The Illinois Impact Incubator is a co-curricular incubation program for students (all majors, levels) to develop an idea or early-stage venture focused on social or environmental impact. Includes a startup curriculum with workshops, curated resources, peer feedback, access to mentors and expert advisors. Members are eligible for micro grants and seed funding. Individuals or small teams may apply.

September 10 • Application Deadline

Fall 2021 Applications Open for the Illinois Impact Incubator

Valeri Werpetinski • Origin Ventures Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Gies Business

Sol Systems is looking to present at the AASHE’s Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education (GCSHE) sometime from October 12-14 through their request for abstracts on Emerging Issues in the field.

Sol Systems is looking to present on our work expanding the impact of renewable energy projects that would certainly focus on things we did for the U of I project, namely the inclusion of pollinator habitats, zero waste construction and the work with students for their Sustainability Minor Capstone projects.

The eighth iSEE Congress will return to the topic of feeding the world: providing a safe, secure supply of food and fuel to an ever-increasing human population using agricultural practices that are ecologically sustainable and adaptable to climate change. Influential speakers and panelists will offer cutting-edge thinking about advancing the sustainability of our agriculture and food systems. Visit the webpage for the latest details! Register now>>>

Fall iSEE Congress: Circular Food Systems
Oct. 26-27 | Illini Rooms A-C | Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana

iSEE's August edition of this Zoom series will feature Alexandra Gergova, incoming Chair of the Illinois Student Government Committee on Sustainability, showing the video "Greening the Ghetto" by Majora Carter. Gergova will then lead a discussion on environmental activism and the importance of getting involved! 

Next week — ‘TED Talk: Eco Edition’ Aug. 31.

7-8 p.m. | Tuesday, Aug. 31 | Register on Zoom

Purchase request to procure a pair of Eco-Counter bicycle and pedestrian counter has been approved. PO# P2196145.